Unity of purpose

Make no bones about it, fashion is an art. Designers, no matter what they create, deserve the highest respect for daring to make clothes especially in a country like Malawi clammed with cheap second hand and Chinese clothing.

In other countries, pageants and red carpet events are always a good forum for fashion designers to highlight their work. Sadly, the story is different in Malawi where there are a few of such events. In a space of three years for example, Malawi has only had one big beauty pageant, Miss Blantyre, last November.

In fashion forward countries like South Africa, Nigeria, USA, and India, designers offer their clothes, accessories, shoes, name it, for an artiste, actor, musician, or model to wear so that they can talk about their designs.

Fashionistas in Africa and beyond would not have known about Gucci, Givenchy, Chanel or Dolce and Gabbana if it wasn’t for artistes extolling them or wearing their designs on the red carpet.

In Malawi, this has still to let on, yet it is a great way for advertising.

Again, those who have been to South Africa and even just fashion pundits know about Young Designers Emporium (YDE) a glam shop, which features local designers. The very premise of YDE according to its website is to showcase the latest in South African fashion design by working with a pool of very talented young South African designers.

Is it time for Malawian designers to come up with a fashion house that will feature Malawian designers? The idea of the couture store is to assemble Malawi’s top as well as up and coming designers in one shop, selling the best of local ready-to-wear and accessories.

“Yes we can do that, so long designs are creative and competitive. Of course, designers can learn from each other apart from challenging each other in order to achieve good quality and the competitiveness I am talking about. We [designers] are still putting that effort to individually grow as well as the industry. With that platform in place, we will work hard to be better than some else,” said arguably Malawi’s top fashion designer, Lilly Alfonso.

A few local designers have studios where they do their work and showcase their couture. However, quite honestly it is almost hard to find where they are situated or even to visit their studios.

Purity Kasambara of Adams Needle adds that having a store like YDE is also cost effective as finances remain one of the major obstacles designers in Malawi are facing.

“Having a store like the Young Designers emporium can really help in improving the crawling Malawi fashion industry to another level. It’s not only finances that cripple the growth of the fashion industry in Malawi, the absence of good structures too.

“As an upcoming designer, plans and goals set are really green, but the road to fetching them can be tough, with a lot of constraints, shops like YDE can be a bridge between the plans and the actual goals. Such shops can enable a designer to display their work, putting to rest the headaches of paying rentals and bills, branding and marketing of the product,” she said.

While agreeing to the idea, Ghana based Malawian fashion designer Naphu Misomali believes there’s more that Malawi can learn from other African countries, who are doing very well in terms of fashion.

She mentioned the need to establish an association of fashion designers in Malawi which, among others, will be the voice of all members.

“In Ghana we have what is called the Palette Association, comprised of young fashion designers working together on a single platform with a common goal to contribute to the transformation of the fashion industry. Whatever issues we have, we express them as a group and you know that carries weight that approaching them individually.

“Through this association, we have a factory stocked with 200 machines. All what a designer needs to do is to pay a certain amount of fee to have designs done there. Through this association, we also benefit through international fashion trainings among others. If Malawian designers can join hands and do the dame, things will certainly change,” she explained.

On the proposal of local designers teaming up to establish a store, Naphu said: “Actually that’s another good road that our budding industry can undertake. There is so much talent and potential, what is missing in our industry is support. And that support can come in different ways including initiatives by the designers themselves.” n